FRANCIACORTA WINE-ROUTE

Between Mt. Orfano, Mt. Alto and the Oglio and Mella Rivers, in the central and eastern areas of the region of Lombardia, you will find an area with a ‘sparkling’ history: Franciacorta, home to the king of Italian sparkling wines.

In order to acquaint yourself personally with this famous white wine and its sparkling quality, you need to travel west from Brescia, cross the Mella River and follow your palate… the Franciacorta Wine-route will open up before you. Along this route you will be welcomed not only by  the perfumes and flavours of the local food and wines but by abbeys, small towns, monasteries, villas and castles immersed in the greenery of century-old parks like that of the Natural Reserve of Torbiere del Sebino.
From Mandolossa to Paratico, for about 80 kilometres the wine seeker will be led on a guided ‘tasting’tour of local specialities through a landscape of vineyards dotted with local restaurants and cellars. The wine route which takes one from the city of Brescia in a north westerly direction right up to Lake Iseo, can be divided into three parts,.
The first section starts at Gussago and leads to Cazzago San Martino. In Gussago, which was a Roman rural district, you can visit the ancient church, Piè del Dosso (Santa Maria Vecchia), or the  Santuario della Stella (‘Sanctuary of the Stars’); proceeding we come to the town of Rodengo Saiano with its Olivetan Abbey dedicated to St. Nicholas and host to a sixteenth century cloister, a monumental gallery and masterpieces by Brescian artists. Not far from here are the hot springs of Ome, dominated by the Sancuary of Our Lady of Avello. A must is the ancient forge of Maglio Averoldi, now a museum. After a visit to Monticelli Brusati, where the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rose (‘Madonna della Rosa’) is worth seeing, and to Passirano (the medieval Castle of Fassati), you get to Cazzago San Martino, with the Castle of Bornato (or Villa Orlando).
The second section takes you from Rovato to Corte Franca; on the way you can see Mt. Orfano which at 451 metres is home to the Convent of the Annunciation. Rovato is famous for its ancient livestock market and its renowned beef recipes such as beef ‘all’olio’ and tripe. Beyond Coccaglio and Cologne, you get to the heart of Franciacorta, namely Erbusco, the ancient medieval town built on the top of the hill and home to several patrician villas, among which Villa Lechi. Then to Provaglio d’Iseo, with its Cluniac Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa, and finally Corte Franca, home to several prestigious cellars.
The last section runs from Adro to Lake Iseo. The sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snow (‘Madonna della Neve’), which hosts a small silk and linen museum, and the eighteenth century Palazzo Bargnani di Adro, are woth a visit. The typical medieval town of Capriolo is also worth seeing. By now you will have reached the shores of Lake Iseo. Of interest are the strategic point of Paratico and the traditional fisherman’s town of Clusane d’Iseo, which enchants the visitor with its baked tench, a typical local dish, and a boatride on the “naècc”, agile flat-bottomed boats which are rowed standing in the Venetian fashion.